Hidden Voices: “Haud [hold] Fast by the Past”
Resource type
Abstract
Creator (person)
Valdez-Tullett, Joana
Jones, Rebecca
Knell, Elliot
Michielin, Lucia
Rocks-Macqueen, Doug
Sanders, Jeff
Date published
2025
Abstract
With the emergence of antiquarian studies in the 18th and 19th centuries, women were frequently excluded from the discipline. Notable pioneers in Scotland had their papers read by men at Society of Antiquaries of Scotland meetings. Eventually ‘Lady Associates’ were admitted in 1870 and women finally included as ‘Fellows’ in 1901 (over 75 years after the men). Yet this was still over three decades since the ‘Edinburgh Seven’ medical students broke down academic barriers by becoming the first undergraduate female students registered at any British University.
Many female Scottish antiquarians of the 19th and 20th centuries have made a significant contribution to Scottish archaeology, although often not given due credit for their work. Whilst most early pioneers came from wealth (or married wealth), opportunities remained limited, particularly as the discipline started to professionalise in the 20th century. A consortium of 21st century Scottish ‘fellows’ is undertaking the Hidden Voices research, creating and enhancing Wikipedia pages, developing podcasts, and data mining University e-theses to find out about these women and disseminate their work and research, recentralising female voices in our work to “haud [hold] fast by the past” (motto of Lady John Scott,19th century antiquarian and poet).
Event title
10th World Archaeological Congress
Publisher
World Archaeological Congress
Rights statement
In Copyright